


lovers in a dangerous time

by broikawa



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Adam Parrish Comes Home from College, Adam Parrish Is Trying His Best, Anxiety, Forehead Kisses, Gentle Kissing, Hands, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Quarantine, Ronan Lynch is a Good Boyfriend, Slow Dancing, Soft Ronan Lynch/Adam Parrish, Stress Baking, The Barns (Raven Cycle)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:23:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23416675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/broikawa/pseuds/broikawa
Summary: the Barns is a good place to be stuckor ;; yes i actually wrote a quarantine fic
Relationships: Ronan Lynch/Adam Parrish
Comments: 17
Kudos: 148





	lovers in a dangerous time

**Author's Note:**

> i snapped and wrote this. adam is the only thing getting me through this lmao
> 
> also thank u mr andrew hozier for the title idea ily

This fucking sucked.

The world seemed to be changing every second and Adam was not adjusting very well. It was spring, the second semester nearly over, and he was so close to being finished with his first year of college that he didn’t think anything could stop him until something did. He had already been planning to go back to the Barns during his week off, and now, it seemed, he wasn’t going to leave. He was starting to pack up, sitting on his bed folding clothes, wanting to get it over with so he didn’t have to think about it. It was a little eye opening, the whole thing, revealing to him how tunneled his vision really got when he was so focused all the time, but it was distressing nonetheless.

“Effective March 10th, Harvard will begin transitioning to online instruction for all graduate and undergraduate classes,” Adam read aloud over the phone. “Additionally, all students are being asked not to return to campus after Spring Recess to meet academic requirements remotely until further notice.”

“Shit,” said Ronan simply.

“Yeah,” said Adam, “shit.”

“Guess you’re stuck with me,” Ronan quipped, but Adam was quiet. This couldn’t be happening. He didn’t need this. He’d killed himself to be where he was and now he had to pack up and leave for an amount of time undetermined. He knew it was a selfish thought to have but he had it anyway. It hadn’t even begun and he already hated the uncertainty of it all. He hadn’t been following the news very closely, but it was hard not to when it was the only thing people were talking about. He saw news stories every time he went online, overheard chatter anywhere he went, listened to his friends talk about the most recent stories whenever they hung out. This was real, and it was actually happening, and now that he was being told to leave he realized just how _real_ this all was.

His anxiety grew more and more everyday.

“Can you come up here? Tomorrow?” he pleaded.

“Tomorrow?”

“I want to see you,” he said, and it was true.

“I can come tomorrow, yeah,” Ronan told him, and he settled a bit. “Tomorrow” was definite, it was sure. He felt like he needed that more than ever. “Adam,” he said.

“Hm?”

“You’re freaking out,” he said, and it was true.

Adam refused to admit it, though. “No, I’m not,” he lied, “I’m fine.”

“You’re not,” he pressed.

“No, I’m not,” he said again, and it was true. “Can we talk about it when we’re home?” he asked.

“Sure,” said Ronan, and they were both quiet. Neither of them said anything for a while but they both held the phones to their ears. The sound of Ronan’s breathing over the receiver was enough to bring Adam’s nerves down a bit, and he laid down on his pillow.

Eventually, he heard something on the other side of the line, but it wasn’t Ronan.

“ _Kreker_ ,” squawked Chainsaw, threatening.

“No,” Ronan said.

“ _Kreker_ ,” she said again, louder this time.

“I don’t have any,” he told her, “fuck off.”

There was more silence, and Adam imagined there was a stand-off going on between Ronan and the raven. He heard Ronan shuffle around, probably getting up to fulfill Chainsaw’s request. A cupboard door opened and he heard Ronan speak again. “Cracker?” he asked Chainsaw.

“ _Kreker_ ,” she said eagerly. Adam heard crunching, meaning she’d gotten what she wanted.

Adam chuckled. “She’s made you her bitch,” he teased.

“Fuck off,” Ronan said, smiling. He added, “She misses you. So does Opal.”

“Well, it looks like they’ll both be getting lots of time with me.”

“Will I be getting any of that time, Parrish?” he tried.

“You will be getting plenty of time with me, yes,” he said, and he heard Ronan smile again. “I do still have to do work.”

“And I’ll let you,” he said, “but you are doing nothing for at least three days.”

“Except you?” Adam guessed.

“Except me.”

He laughed again. “Of course. Obviously.”

Ronan sighed. “I know you’re gonna stress yourself out about this.”

“It’s what I’m best at,” he said, his voice growing quiet.

He guessed Ronan would tell him not to worry about it, or that they could talk about that too once he was back at the Barns with him, but instead he said, “I love you, you know.”

“I know,” he said. “I love you, too.”

He heard Ronan smile.

“I should finish packing,” he told him.

“Mm.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“6AM, sharp.”

“Not happening,” he told him. “I’m not getting up before eight.”

“Fine,” he sighed, “whatever. Not like I wanted to see you first thing or anything.”

“Oh, shut up,” Adam laughed.

Ronan paused, and Adam waited for him to say it. “ _T_ _amquam_ ,” he said, a tone un-Ronan-like to anyone else but a tone very Ronan-like to his lover.

“ _Alter idem_ ,” he said, and ended the call.

It did feel good to be home.

He took in the sight of the farmhouse the next afternoon as if he were seeing it for the first time; the faded and cracked paint on the sideboards, the old rocking chair that sat empty on the porch, the outside light that Ronan, probably, forgot to turn off before he left. Chainsaw, who had not come with Ronan to pick Adam up, sat on the railing of the porch, and Opal, who had also not come with Ronan, sat on the steps, both waiting patiently for the car to pull to a stop.

Before Adam could close the car door, he was ambushed by the bird and the girl.

“Adam!” Opal cried, crashing into his legs to hug him. Chainsaw landed on his shoulder and nuzzled against his cheek, squawking his name excitedly in bird-speak.

“I thought I told you two to stay inside,” Ronan mentioned, but any hint of sharpness disappeared when he came around the car and saw the three of them. Adam had one hand on Opal’s head, patting it affectionately, and the other holding one of hers. He looked up at Ronan and smiled.

“C’mon, give the man some space,” he said, taking Chainsaw from Adam’s shoulder. “Opal,” he pressed.

Opal didn’t look up, just stayed clinging to Adam’s leg. “Opal,” Adam tried, and she finally moved. She reached her hands up and Adam caught on, lifting her into his arms. She gave him a proper hug.

It didn’t suck as much as he thought it was going to.

They spent the week doing their usual catch up. Ronan showed Adam what he’d been working on, bringing him to his self-titled Dream Emporium and telling him all about the stupid things and junk he’d been bringing back. Chainsaw would circle overhead as they walked outside and find a spot on their shoulders while they explored the barn. Opal and Adam walked around the fields a lot, Opal blabbering on about things she’d learned or found, or things that Ronan had done while Adam had been away, or whatever came to her curious mind, and Adam listened intently like he would in his lectures (though he much prefered listening to Opal talk than listening to some of his professors). Both Ronan and Adam spent a lot of time not wearing many clothes. Most of the time when Ronan was not wearing many clothes, it was Adam’s fault, and most of the time when Adam was not wearing many clothes, it was Ronan’s fault, and most of the time when they were not wearing many clothes, it was in the confines of the bedroom though occasionally it was in the bathroom and there was one night on the couch, which Ronan especially enjoyed.

Time was spent in the kitchen. Ronan would cook, mostly, and he and Adam sat at the dining table and ate breakfast or lunch or dinner together. After dinner, when it was dark outside but still too early to go to bed, one of them would lead the other into the kitchen and they would hold each other and sway. Ronan liked to hold Adam’s hands when they danced around the kitchen, and Adam liked to hold onto Ronan as if he were never going to see him again.

“You trying to kill me, Parrish?” Ronan teased. Adam had his arms around his neck and was hugging him tightly. He loosened his grip when Ronan spoke and was quiet. Ronan kissed his temple, pulling him in closer by his waist.

“I missed you,” Adam muttered, so quiet Ronan nearly didn’t hear it.

“I missed you, too,” Ronan said, matching his volume.

Adam pressed his face against Ronan’s neck and breathed. He could feel it climbing up his throat and forming behind his eyes. He didn’t know why he was sad, or if he was even sad at all, but he was. He breathed carefully, not wanting to cry, but Ronan placing another kiss on his skin – this one above his ear – was enough for him to let go. He didn’t know what else to do; crying seemed like the only response he could form. Everything about this moment – the touching, the movement, the dimmed lights, the silence – was so _much_ for him that he was overwhelmed by it, completely absorbed by the intimacy between the two of them. It wasn’t as if they weren’t constantly touching when they were together, and he had gotten used to their physical affection long before this moment. It was still so much. Maybe it had just been a bit too long for him.

He took it in. It was his to take.

“Adam,” Ronan said softly, and he looked up. Ronan looked at his face, wet with tears. “Oh, man, you’re a mess,” he said, but he was smiling.

Adam smiled too, weakly. “Look who’s talking,” he said, and they both laughed, a mix of sorrow and joy. Ronan wiped his thumbs across his cheeks to get rid of his tears, but all he seemed to do was spread them around more. He used his sleeve, but Adam put a hand to his arm to stop him. “I can do it,” he said.

Ronan insisted, “I’ve got it.”

“Ronan,” Adam said, but he stopped moving, letting Ronan dry his cheeks. When he was done, Ronan put his hands on either side of Adam’s face, gently pulling him closer to kiss his forehead. Silence filled the room again, and they looked at each other like they were each other’s worlds, because they were, and they both smiled like they were happy, because they were.

“Spending time with me isn’t so bad, is it?” Ronan asked him

Adam, looking down at the floor, said, “No, it’s not.” He said it as if there were more he wanted to say but he didn’t and Ronan didn’t press him to continue and put his hands back down to his waist.

Eventually, Adam had to get back to work, and adapting to the new format of learning outside of lecture halls was difficult at first. He refreshed pages religiously for updates in the first week, impatient and desperate to return to his normal schedule. Adam, Ronan explained to Opal, locked himself in the bedroom so he wouldn’t be disturbed, and while she didn’t say anything, she found it quite unfair that Adam could be home but wasn’t allowed to spend time with her.

“I know what you mean, runt,” Ronan said, ruffling her hair.

In the evenings, when he was sure that Adam wasn’t in a class but was still working, Ronan would bring up some of whatever he’d made for dinner (or make something he knew Adam liked), knocking carefully on the door to let Adam know he was coming in before opening the door.

Ronan put the grilled cheese sandwich on the desk.

“Thank you,” Adam said, not taking his eyes off the computer screen.

“At least turn the light on,” Ronan said, flicking up the lightswitch. “Your eyes are gonna fall out.”

The change in lighting brought Adam out of his essay writing trance. He looked at Ronan, holding his hand out for him to take it. He did, and Adam rubbed at his eyes, realizing how long he’d been staring at the screen.

Ronan read the title of his essay. “Nerd,” he snickered.

“Shut up,” Adam said lamely, leaning his head on Ronan’s arm.

“Eat,” Ronan told him, kissing the top of his head.

Before he could let go of his hand, Adam pulled on it and asked, “When are you coming to bed?”

“Don’t know,” he shrugged. “I was going to go drive for a bit.”

“Can I come?”

He nodded, then motioned to the food again. “Eat first. We’ll leave when you’re done.”

By the third week, they all started to get used to it. The TV was kept off to keep them as sane as possible, and to keep Adam’s hyperactive anxiety in-check (the latter being Ronan’s call, and despite insisting, “My anxiety is not hyperactive,” Adam appreciated the concern). Adam learned of Ronan’s new hobby of bread making and Opal’s new love for baked goods and every few days they would spend time in the kitchen making something new, and even if it wasn’t very good, they all appreciated the sugar.

“I bet this is doing wonders for your hand fetish,” Adam said, mixing together the contents of the bowl in front of him.

Ronan, standing behind him with his hands on his hips, kissing the back of his neck and said, “You know me so well.”

They were stuck here.

They were stuck, and they loved, and they danced and they played and they laughed. They watched stupid movies, and they drove, and they laid in the field and looked at the clouds. They slept and they showered and they ate and they lived. They were making the most of it.

It wasn’t horrible.

That was enough for now.

**Author's Note:**

> adam and ronan get to quarantine and be gay together and frankly thats a bit homophobic to gay people w long distance partners. im gay people
> 
> tumblr:  
> etherealparrish (main)  
> ohmyhoneybun (mlm/lovecore)  
> historicalsgnificance (dark academia)  
> adrientheodorepercival (writeblr) (pls follow me im funny sometimes)


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